The 10,000 capacity stadium is part of the £135m Five Towns Park which will also include a new food store, petrol station, high-quality shops and a country park on land just off the M62 at junction 32.

Steve Gill, Tigers’ chief executive, said: “The new stadium is essential to the long-term success of the club because we spend so much money every year on our current ground at Wheldon Road.

“The cost of making sure the ground complies with safety standards is substantial and we can only use it 13 times a year.

“With the new stadium we could actually start making money during the week and off-season. We can open it up to the community and generate income for the club.”

Mr Gill handed in a 6,000-signature petition supporting the scheme to Wakefield Council last week.

Thousands of people have also registered their support for the Five Towns Park, which would be built on land between Stainburn Avenue and Spittal Hardwick Lane, on the council’s planning website.

Mr Gill added: “I truly believe that if you take the stadium out of the Five Towns Park it is an application that cannot be turned down.

“For somebody to come up with £135m worth of investment for Castleford is fantastic news for our area.

“We’ve seen a real degeneration in our area over the last 30 years.

“The pits shut, then the glass industry faded away and we look like losing 700 jobs at Kellingley Colliery and this scheme would create 2,000 jobs – how can that be turned down?

“I honestly think this stadium and the park as a whole is massive for us all as a town and as a Five Towns area.

“It’s the biggest development we’ve had since Xscape and look at how big a success that has been.”

The application will be discussed at a meeting on Thursday, February 19 at Wakefield’s County Hall at 11am.

Councillors will also debate plans by supermarket giant Sainsbury’s to turn the Glass Houghton B&Q store into a food store and an extension to Asda, on Leeds Road, Glass Houghton.

See the Express website www.pontefractandcastlefordexpress.co.uk on Thursday and follow @PandCExpress on Twitter for live updates from the meeting.